The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry is the Doorway to Your Best Self by Curtis Chang (Zondervan, 2023).

When I heard this interview with Curtis Chang, I knew I had to read his book. A friend had recommended the podcast to me since he said it had reminded him of some of my writing and thought I would enjoy it. I don’t listen to many podcasts, but wow, this one was great! And the book even better!!

Chang begins with the premise that anxiety is inevitable. It’s part of being human. Anxiety is part of the inevitable losses that we experience in this life. On the night before his arrest, even Jesus struggled with anxiety.

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.”
—Mark 14:32-34

Chang gives a quick review of three main ways of coping with loss and anxiety in the ancient world and today:

1. “Do good despite loss” (Stoicism, page 142)

2. “Enjoy life despite loss” (Epicureanism, page 142)

3. “Your loss is not real” (Platonism, page 143)

In contrast, he lifts up the Christian view of loss and anxiety:

We get back what we lose—and more.

The “and more” comes in because Christian resurrection gives back eternal bodies. Our bodies will be raised in imperishable form (1 Corinthians 15:42-57). We are saved from all future loss as well. We get back what we lose and will get to keep it all because death itself will finally be defeated forever. (page 144)

God will restore all things! (Acts 3:20)  That makes a difference to how we bear loss and anxiety in this life. That makes a difference to how we understand anxiety as an opportunity for spiritual growth. That makes a difference to how we enjoy life, do good in this world, and engage in acts of restoration even now as signposts of the fullness of God’s restoration to come.

We desperately need to be reminded that Jesus will restore our world from its grievous losses. The notion that “none of this matters because it’s all going to burn” is not only biblically incorrect, but it also rings emotionally hollow and callous. . . .

People need real hope in order to sustain an ongoing engagement with the real suffering that is occurring in the world. This is especially true when we recognize that our own tiny efforts can hardly make a dent in avoiding major loss (such as the issue with climate change). We must believe that the kingdom of heaven will eventually come. Our small efforts only serve as signposts pointing to that future as creative and suggestive throughlines to eternity. Jesus—not our puny efforts—will raise the dead and restore all things. (page 165)

There’s so much more I appreciate about this book, but I’ll stop here and encourage you to read it for yourself. I was pleased to find a copy in our local public library, and I confess that I renewed it FOUR times before I was able to finish it. But don’t let my slow reading and note-taking deter you. This book is a great read with plenty of stories from the author’s own experience with anxiety, burnout, and recovery.

Writing/Reflection Prompt: What book(s) are you reading?